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Inverell
|latd=29 |latm=46 |longd=151 |longm=07 |est = 1856 |pop = 9,749 |pop_footnotes= |elevation= 582 | elevation_footnotes = |maxtemp = 22.7 |mintemp = 10.3 |rainfall = 800.0 |stategov = Northern Tablelands |fedgov = New England |dist1 = 621 |dir1 = N |location1= Sydney |dist2 = 434 |dir2 = SW |location2= Brisbane |dist3 = 120 |dir3 = NW |location3= Armidale |dist4 = 141 |dir4 = E |location4= Moree |dist5 = 67 |dir5 = W |location5= Glen Innes }} Inverell is a town in northern New South Wales, Australia, situated on the Macintyre River. It is also the centre of Inverell Shire. Inverell is located on the Gwydir Highway on the western slopes of the Northern Tablelands. It has a temperate climate. At the 2006 census, the population of Inverell was 9,749. History In 1848, Alexander Campbell held the Inverell Station on the Macintyre River. The name derives from the name of Mr. MacIntyre's estate. The word is of Gaelic origin, and signifies "meeting place of the swans"; from "Inver a meeting place, and "Ell", a swan. The MacIntyre River and Swanbrook Creek join here. The area was also known as "Green Swamp" in the 1850s. Wheat growers, Colin and Rosanna Ross established a store there in 1853,Readers Digest Guide to Australian Places, Readers Digest, Sydney when he asked that a town be surveyed. In 1858 this was done and in the following years the plan was approved and the first land sale was held. Byron Post Office (open since 1855) was replaced by the Inverell Post Office on 15 September 1859. The municipality was proclaimed in 1872. The last section of the Inverell branchline, from Delungra to Inverell, was opened on 10 March 1902. The last train ran to Inverell on 22 June 1987, and the Delungra to Inverell section of the line was closed on 2 December 1987. The population was 7514 (1954 census) and 8209 (1961 census). At the 2006 census, the population of Inverell was 9,749, although the sign on the way into the town states the population as 12,000. Mining History Diamonds were discovered at Copes Creek in 1875 and were mined at Copeton from 1883-1922. Commercial sapphire mining was commenced in 1919 at Frazers Creek near Inverell. Rich alluvial deposits in streams were worked initially by hand miners but there was little recorded production up until approximately 1960.New England Holiday, New England Regional Tourist Zone Association, n.d. Industry The Inverell district is in a fertile agricultural region which produces a wide range of crops, including wheat, barley, oats, sorghum, wine grapes and maize. There are also some mining activities with tin, sapphires, zircons and diamonds (mainly industrial) being found. Inverell is known as the ‘Sapphire City’ because of the sapphires that found throughout the local district. The area is recognised for its sapphires, contributing to a major part of Australia's sapphire production.Inverell, Northern Tablelands NSW Australia Copeton Dam, the district's main water supply, holds three times the capacity of Port Jackson (Sydney Harbour), and is so large that when it is below 3% of its capacity during drought, it still has enough water to supply the town for up to ten years without water restrictions. The Inland Fishing Festival is held there every year. Education There are two primary schools in Inverell; Ross Hill School and Inverell Public School. The two local high schools are Inverell High School and Macintyre High School. Holy Trinity School is a Central Catholic School in Inverell which caters for students from Kindergarten to Year Ten. Transport Inverell is served by Inverell Airport. Notable people *Colin Madigan (born 1921), notable Australian architect. *Leon Punch (1928–1991), former Deputy Premier of New South Wales. *Rick McCosker (born 1946), cricketer and Wisden Cricketer of the Year in 1976. *Susan Hampton (Mackie) (born 1949), poet, winner of the Judith Wright Award. *Graeme Stewart (born 1953), ballet dancer, Saddlers Wells. *Steve Elkington (born 1962), professional golfer, 1995 US PGA Champion. *Scott Sunderland (born 1966), Former professional cyclist. *Owen Craigie (Born 1978) former Rugby League player for the Newcastle Knights, Wests Tigers, South Sydney Rabbitohs and Widnes Vikings. *Heinrich Haussler (born 1984), Professional cyclist. *Nathan Tinkler multimillionaire, richest man in Australia under 40. *John Williams NSW Nationals Senator Climate and weather |date= November 2011 }} Over the years, Inverell has had three weather stations run by government astromoners (prior to 1908) or the Bureau of Meteorology (after 1908), or both. These stations are: * Inverell Comparison (began observations in 1879, ceased observations November 1997) * Inverell Research Centre (began observations in 1949, still operational; converted to an Automatic Weather Station in recent years) * Inverell (Raglan Street) (began observations in March 1995, still operational; observations done by human observer) Notable weather extremes The highest maximum temperature recorded at Inverell was 43.7C on 4 January 1903 at the Inverell Comparison site. The lowest maximum temperature for any of the Inverell weather sites was 3.0C on 3 July 1984 at Inverell Research Centre. On 5 August 1923, snow fell in parts of the Inverell district. References External links *Inverell Online Category:Towns in New South Wales Category:Towns in New England (New South Wales)